What to Do When God is Silent in Your Life
Today, I invite you to pause and imagine a discouraged woman who has lost any sense of God’s presence in her life. God is silent in her life; meanwhile, the world around her expects her to be a spiritual leader, mentor, and example.
Here are her words:
“As for myself, Father, I have nothing to say for the darkness is so dark, the pain is so painful. Sometimes the grip of pain is so great that I can hear my own voice call out—My God, help me. When I help my Sisters draw very close to Jesus—when I teach them to love Him with a deep, devoted, personal love, I long to be able to do the same. . . . I see them love God—come so close to Him—grow daily so much like Him—and I, Father, am just alone, empty, excluded, just not wanted.”
I read these words and remember a dark season in my life—a time when the Lord seemed to speak nothing and I couldn’t feel his presence. And just what do you do when God is silent, and it feels like he’s closed the doors of heaven and gone quiet?
When God Is Silent
The above words are the words of Mother Teresa, written to her spiritual mentor in 1957.
Mother Teresa made one of the greatest marks on humanity in the twentieth century. Surprisingly, she lived most of her life with an aching sense that the Lord was not near.
What do we do when we cannot sense the presence, voice, guidance, or love of the Lord? What do we do when it seems Immanuel, God with us, has left the scene of our lives?
Mother Teresa set a fine example: We continue to faithfully serve him, love him, and obey him.
Her life bears testimony to the fact that she did not grow bitter or cold. She continued to serve the Lord with her whole heart, even when she could not sense him. The tangible sensation of the Lord’s presence and love was not with her, but she served him with relentless devotion.
If you don’t sense God’s presence today, take heart. He promises never to leave his children.
What to Do When You Don’t Sense God’s Presence
Meanwhile, there are a few things you can do. When the Lord seems silent, I start by asking myself a few questions:
1. When God is silent, I ask if I have offended him through unconfessed sin.
There are mornings when I rise to commune with God, and he seems silent.
The first plea I make is, “Search me, oh God, and show me if there is anything in my heart that offends you.”
Usually, he brings a certain attitude, misspoken word, or sin to my mind. It is specific and clear.
I remember snapping at a child, ignoring a text, or hesitating to respond to a nudge to reach out to a friend in need. When I confess my sin to God, make amends with the person I’ve sinned against (whenever possible), and turn from my sin, I often experience sweet communion with God.
2. I check my motives when God is silent.
At other times, when I struggle to connect with God, I pause to ask whether I’m seeking him simply to bask in his love, or if I’m consistently approaching him for an answer to my problems.
I’m prone to come to God with a long list of questions.
They are often godly questions about how to arrange my day, how to counsel a friend, or how to better encourage my family.
God wants to pour his wisdom out in these areas, but he also longs to simply connect with me. He wants me to come to him for the simple purpose of enjoying him.
If every interaction with my husband looks like me holding up a to-do list with all of my problems displayed in bullet points, he’s eventually going to long for me to put the list down and simply enjoy his presence.
It is the same with God.
Sometimes, I hear nothing when I come to him because all I seek are answers to my problems. There are days when God wants to speak over me with his love, but my focus on getting things accomplished closes my heart to his love.
3. I ask whether I am really entering into silence and solitude.
On the same note, it’s important to spend time in silence, listening for the voice of God.
I tend to make prayer lists and hold a monologue during times of prayer.
Sadly, I miss out on hearing what he truly wants to speak. Prayer is meant to be a two-way conversation. God wants us to connect with his heart, and we need silence for this kind of prayer.
God wants to tell me how much he loves me. When I ask God to share what is on his heart, he most often reminds me that he loves me greatly. We often expect profound answers and truths from God, when the most profound truth we will ever encounter is that he loves us.
When God Is Still Silent
Even after taking the three steps above, there will be times when we still encounter silence. For some, it’s simply a day of silence. For others, like Mother Teresa, this silence lasts for years.
In the silence, we’re called to anchor ourselves to the truth of Scripture: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Pause with me here, friend.
God’s love for us was sealed at the cross, whether we feel that love now or not.
It’s great to feel God’s love and his presence, but whether we feel it or not, he still died for us. This is where we find the anchor for our souls.
It’s great to feel God’s love and his presence, but whether we feel it or not, he still died for us. This is where we find the anchor for our souls. #encounteringGodintheordinary Share on XMay we stand on this truth in the times when God is silent.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 7, 12, and 16, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. I also recently released a teen devotional called Anchored, designed to help teens learn key biblical narratives and apply them to their lives. You can find these books here or read more below. 
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Devotions for Boys by Boys
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
These Books Are Free on Kindle Unlimited: God Wants to Heal, Restore, and Refresh You
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. He also wants to help you establish a rhythm of meeting with him daily as you trust him with the hard parts of your life. Click here to explore two books that will guide you: Be Still and Trust and Lean Into Grace. They are free on the Kindle Unlimited program and for sale in print.
Download Your Free Devotional Here
Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE or for a donation of 3.99 here. Thank you. This small gift helps keep this ministry running.
I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
